The Liar Confounded, To the reader
To the Jmpartiall Reader.
Chriſtian Reader,
IT is S. James his Obſervation, c. 3. 5. Behold how great a matter a litle fire kindleth: And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, and ſetteth on fire the courſe of nature, and is ſeton fire of hell: which I may truely apply to John Lilburns tongue, and much more to his pen imployed only in compiling Libellous Letters and Papers: Behold how great combuſtions and tumults have they kindled among the Ignorant Ʋulgar, who adore him as the onelyonly Oracle of Truth, when as he is a meere Legend of Lyes: Had not his Papers kindled a publike dangerous flame, diſ-affected divers of his Seditious Faction, and ſet their tongues nay hearts againſt the Parliament, againſt whom they are brewing miſchiefe in ſundry private Conventicles, and ripening publike Mutinies, I had ſate ſtill in ſilence, and onelyonly anſwered this Rayler as the Arch-Angell Michael did the Devil, when he ſtrove with him about the body of Moyſes Jude 9. The Lord rebuke thee: or have ſpread his Letter onelyonly in private before the Lord, as Hezekiah ſpread Sennacharibs blaſphemous Letter, 2 Kings 19. 14, 15, 16. ſaying, Lord bow downe thine eare and heare, open Lord thine eyes and ſee, heare the words of this Senacharib (Lilburne) which hath ſent to reproach the Living God; and the higheſt powers under him. But the flame being now grown to ſuch an height as endangers the firing of our whole State into a publike combuſtion, I could doe no leſſe, then contribute my beſt endeavours (after ſo long a ſilence) and bring one bucket or two of water towards the extinguiſhing of his Prodigious firebrands, which were certanely ſet on fire of hell, which breathes forth in his ſeditious Papers, fit for no other uſe then to make publike bonefires in the ſtreets.
I ſhall deſire the unprejudiced Reader, whoever he be, to read this ſhort Relation and Refutation with an impartiall eye, and then, I dare ſay, he will ſoone reſolve; There was never ſuch an execrable Libell and Legion of Lyes publiſhed againſt the Parliaments the Committees Juſt proceedings, and other well-deſerving Members, Perſons Integrities, as this of Lilburnes Letters; who (if we may lawfully judge of the Tree by the fruits) is in Simon Magus his condition, even drenched in The very gall of bitterneſſe, and fettered in the bond of iniquity; and he will more admire, and perchance blame the Parliament for their overmuch Clemency and Mildneſſe, in proceeding with ſo much Patience and Moderation againſt ſuch an obſtinate Delinquent, then he or any of his Confederates do, or can maliciouſly exclaime againſt them, for their pretended overmuch Oppreſſion, Tyranny and Injuſtice, of which there is not the leaſt ſhadow appearing in any of their proceedings. So ſubmitting all to thy cenſure, and Gods bleſſing, I ſhall ceaſe to trouble thee with any further Prologue.
A Briefe Relation and Refutation of John Lilburnes notorious Lyes and Calumnies, againſt the PARLJAMENT and others.
OF all the moſt Glorious Attributes of God in Scripture, there is none more eminent then this, aDeut. 32. 4. Pſal. 31. 5. Eſay 65. 16.That he is a God of TRVTH, in the affirmative; A bTit. 1. 2.God that CANNOT LYE; yea, that it is cHeb. 6. 18.Impoſſible for him to Lye, in the Negative: And of all the diſgracefull Titles given to the Devill himſelfe in Sacred Writ, there is none more infamous then this: dJohn 8. 44.That he is a LYAR and the Father of Lyes, and aboade not in the TRVTH: Whence it neceſſarily follows, That of all perſons in the world, none are more deſperately wicked, and unlike to God; or more Diabolically impious and like to the very Devill himſelfe, then LYARS; and of all Lyars thoſe eſpecially, who moſt maliciouſly forge, and then ſcandalouſly Regiſter, Print, and Publiſh to all the world, moſt notorious Lyes and Untruths of others, who leaſt of all deſerve ſuch Devilliſh uſage at their hands. Hence it was, that our Saviour told the Lying Jewes; eJohn 8. 44.Ye are of your Father the Devill; and the lusts of your father will ye do: and that Peter uſed this expreſſion to Ananias, when he told but a kinde of officious, not a meer malitious ſlanderous Lye, fActs 5. 3.Why hath SATAN FILLED THY HEART, TO LYE to the Holy Ghost? Intimating, that Lyars hearts are filled up to the brim with Satan, their Ghoſtly Father; and that they have not the leaſt dram of Gods Holy Spirit in them; which is ever ſtiled gJohn 14. 17 c. 15 26. c. 16. 13. 1 John 4. 6. c. 5. 6.A Spirit of Truth, which guides true Chriſtians into all Truth: Upon this ground Solomon rankes, hProv. 6. 16. 17. 19.A lying tongue and a falſe witneſſe that ſpeaketh Lyes, among thoſe things which the Lord eſpecially hates and abhominates; And Saint John regiſters iRev. 21. 8. c. 22. 15.Lyars, and he that loveth and maketh a lye, in the black Catalogue of thoſe damned ones, who ſhall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimſtone, and ſhall be excluded the Caeleſtiall Jeruſalem; to kMat. 25. 4….accompany the Devill and his Angels for Eternity, in hell fire.
Yet notwithſtanding this undeniable verity, there is a new Generation of fiery zealots ſprung up in the world of late, who deem themſelves brimfull of the Spirit of Truth, and moſt others no better than Reprobates or Devils in carnate; who like Jobs deceitfull friends, are lJob 13. 4.Forgers of Lyes; or like the mTit. 1. 12.Cretians, alway Lyars; if not like thoſe wicked ones whom David deſcribes, Pſal. 58. 3, 4. They go aſtray as ſoon as they be born (yea new-born into their factious ſeparation) ſpeaking Lyes; their poyſon is like the poyſon of the Serpent; nPſal. 52. 2, 3, 4.Their tongue deviſeth miſchiefes like a ſharp raſor, working deceitfully; They love lying more than to ſpeake righteouſneſſe; they love all devouring words: Yea, oJer. 9. 3. 5.they bend their tongues like their bow for lyes, but are not valiant for the Truth, and they will deceive every man his Neighbour, and will not ſpeake the Truth: they have taught their tongues to ſpeak Lyes, and weary themſelves to commit Iniquity, even in Print: being the very generation of men in the latter times of whom the p1 Tim. 4. 1. 2. 2 Tim. 3. 3. 4.Spirit ſpeaketh expreſly, that they ſhould depart from the faith, giving heed to ſeducing ſpirits; ſpeaking Lyes in hypocriſie, having their conſcience ſeared with a hot Iron: falſe accuſers, ſierce, heady, high-minded, &c. having a form of godlineſſe, but denying the power thereof.
Among the whole rabble of this lying, ſlandring Generation, there is none more peceant then John Lilburn, of late years a poor obſcure Apprentice in London, but now a Lieutenant Colonel, and Ringleader of an Anti-Parliamentary Anabaptiſtical Faction: who forgetting all the Laws of Chriſtianity & common Civility, hath abuſed his beſt Benefactors, yea the very high Court of Parliament who (as himſelf confeſſed) ſaved him from the Gallows; and moſt groſly belyed, traduced his ancient Chriſtian friends in ſuch a ſcurrilous, virulent, unchriſtian maner, without any provocation, as no age can parallel, in ſundry Printed Libels, which he intitles Letters, wherewith he hath poyſoned the minds of many poor Ignorant people of his Sect and others, with prejudices againſt the Parliaments proceedings, and filled their mouths with bitter invectives, calumnies, and reports againſt thoſe they formerly honoured moſt of any Mortall…, and the very Raiſers of John Lilburne to all the reputation he ever gained in the world; to wit, Maſter William Prynne, (whoſe Servant he was generally reputed to be, and was contented to own that Title for his own emoliment, though never capable of ſuch an Honour;) and Dr. John Baſtwick; the Printing of whoſe Letany (which he freely beſtowed on him at his requeſt) was the beſt ſtock he had, and that which firſt made him notorious to the Prelates, (their oppoſites) and the preſent Parliament; whereas otherwiſe he had lyen buried in obſcurity among the rubbiſh of the meaneſt vulgar, ſcarce known to any but him ſelfe.
For my own particular, I ſo much undervalue all his ſcurrilous lyes, and rayling invectives againſt my ſelfe, that I deeme them more worthy ſcorn, than anſwer, and his Libellous, ſeditious Letter to a Friend, with that unto my ſelfe, fitter to be refuted by the hangman hand than any others: But becauſe I am certainly informed by divers, That this laſt Letter, with other ſeditious Printed papers of his, which he hath privatly ſcatred among his friends, have done extraordinary hurt, much incenſed his ignorant miſ-informed Brethren of the Separation, and opened the mouthes of them, yea of many Royaliſts and Malignants againſt the Parliaments proceedings in his and other caſes, as tyrannicall, illegall, arbitrary, unjuſt, and diametrally contrary to Magna Charta; (which this grand Ignoramus had never law enough to underſtand in the Language wherein it was firſt written, nor in his mother tongue, as appears by his very tranſcribing of it, wherein he writes DISEASED for DISSEISED,) the meaning of which Law term I am certain he underſtands not) and that his miſtaken Law (embraced by his diſciples as infallible Oracles) hath deceived many poor ſilly ſouls, and is conceived to have been learned from my ſelfe, (whoſe ſervant heretofore and now he is generally cryed up to have been, when as I bleſſe God, I never entertained him in my ſervice; nor any ſuch turbulent, factious, croſſe-graind peece as he ſhews himſelf.) I have at the motion of ſome friends, undertaken to paſſe a briefe cenſure on this his moſt ſeditious Letter, ſo far as it trencheth upon the Parliaments and Committees moſt juſt Proceedings, and my own perſonall reputation, both which I ſhall clearly vindicate from his Malicious Lyes, and intollerable Libellous ſlanders. Wherein I ſhall purſue this method.
Firſt, truely State the Parliaments moſt juſt and favourable Proceedings againſt him; which he moſt wilfully, falſly, and ungratefully miſ-relates to alinate the peoples affections from, and draw down an odium upon them, without the leaſt juſt occaſion.
Secondly, Rectify his groſſe miſtaken Law, his miſ-interpretation of Magna Charta, and the Petition of Right, and manifeſt the Parliaments and Committees proceedings againſt him to be warranted by both; not contrary to either, much leſſe to be utterly Illegall, Tyrannicall, Unjuſt, and deſtructive to the Subjects Liberties, as he ſcandalouſly reports them.
Thirdly, Recite and anſwer this whole Jury of moſt groſſe Lyes and Slaunders, ſummoned from the very Vicinage of Hell, and brought by him to the Bar to give in a Verdict intentionally againſt my Reputation, but really againſt his own.
1 To begin with the firſt of theſe; Upon the publication of my, Truth triumphing over Falſhood, Antiquitie over Novelty, in defence of the Parliaments undoubted Eccleſiaſticall Juriſdiction, againſt Papiſts, Prelats, Anabaptiſts, Independents, Royaliſts, who oppugned the ſame, Iohn Lilburne, for whom I had done ſundry Courteſies, but never injured in thought, word, or deed, I know not out of what malicious, ſchiſmaticall, or unchriſtian humour, before ever he had read over my book (a great part whereof he underſtood not) Writ and ſent me a moſt rayling virulent Letter, dated the 7. of January 1645. wherein he ſcurrilouſly Libels not onelyonly againſt my ſelfe, but likewiſe againſt the Synod aſſembled by Parliament, againſt the Ordinances of Parliament, prohibiting the Printing of Libellous and Seditious Pamphlets, Bookes without ſpeciall Licenſe, (as contrary to the Libertie and Priviledges of the Subject, and learned of the Spaniſh Inquiſition) and againſt the Ordinance for payment of Tythes, which he tells the Parliament is, A CONTRADICTION TO THEIR COVENANT, charging them thereby with no leſſe then Perjury; which Letter before I had leiſure fully to peruſe, he publiſhed in Print without any Licenſe, to the great ſcand all both of the Synode, Parliament, and their proceedings: whereupon it was about 2. daies after complained of, and ſome clauſes therof read in the Commons Houſe, and thereupon this Order made, and entred in the Commons Iournall.